New Sawmill for Stimson Lumber Company Will Be Known as ltiller lumber Company

The manager of the new operation is Darrell Schroeder, who is also currently manager of the Rellim Redwood Company.

The engineering and construction work will be under the supervision of Bud Keeney of the Fisher Marcola Company, Eugene, Oregon.

The Stimson Lumber Co. purchased its oiiginal timber in the Forest Grove, Oregon area as early as 1885. Construction of the present mill was started in 1930 and the first logs were sawed Oetober 13, 1933, just two months after the devastating Tillamook fire.

The company was one of the largest land owners in the Tillamook burn area and a substantial part of its timber land was swept over by one of tlre worst {orest fires in recorded history of the United States. The company immediately turned to the problem of utilizing timber damaged in the fire. Stimson Lumber Company was the first to begin actual salvage operations in the burn area. In August, 1933, when the first logs from the burn area were dumped into the pond from railroad carts clouds of steam arose because of the internal heat trapped and retained in the logs.

The sawmilling operation started in 1933 and ran head-on against the problem of utilizing as much of the damaged timber as possible.

The first attempt to overcome this prob. lem was achieved when a chemical engineer, hired 'by the company, developed a wood plastic. The new product was used to patch and upgrade lumber products. This original wood plastic has been further developed into a high-quality product and is packaged under the name, Fil-Tite. Today it is used by many of the plywood and door factories on the coast to upgrade their products. It is now manufactured in every wood color.

As an increasing amount of waste from the burnt timber appeared, additional effort was directed into research and planning. Some method had to be ,introduced to utilize more of the small parts of the log and the ends of lumber. There was good sound wood in these pieces, but it was not marketable as lumber. The result of this planning was the decision to build a hardboard plant.

In May oL 1949 the first panel of hardboard (tradename, FOREST Hardboard) was produced in the new plant. In the 14 years that the hardboard plant has been in operation its personnel have been instru(Continued, on Page 60)